The present invention relates to food products, and particularly, to a food product having at least two individual food components which are separated until they are ready to be eaten.
In the fast-food retailing industry there is great need for packaged ready-to-eat food products that allow the consumer to combine previously separated food components conveniently just before eating them. Most fast food is sold in a form in which the individual food components are already combined at the time of purchase thereby requiring immediate consumption if the qualities, texture and flavor for example, of the individual food components are to be enjoyed. Both retailers and consumers need packaged fast food products that are easily stored for long periods of time, readily combined from individual components into finished products and still preserve the qualities of the individual food components. Further, because most consumers associate fast-food with junk-food, there is a need for packaged fast-food products that are more nutritious than conventional fast food and snack items.
The prior art discloses numerous packaged food products that separate individual food components and allow for their combination just prior to consumption. Seaborne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,618, discloses a two-compartment food package having an edible barrier which separates food contained within the two compartments. Slangan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,325, discloses a two-compartment food package having an inedible barrier which separates food contained within the two compartments. Both of these approaches heat chocolate syrup in a microwave oven and allow the heated syrup to spill over ice cream contained in a microwave-insulated compartment. However, in neither of the devices is the food compartment itself edible as is disclosed in the present invention.
Other two-component food products have chosen to eliminate mechanical barriers, edible and inedible, and have instead produced moisture-resistant coatings which, when applied to the inside of an outer food component, allow separation from an inner food component. Rubenstein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,553, discloses such an edible moisture-resistant coating made out of food-grade fats that are applied to the inside of an edible food container. Bank, U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,440, also discloses an edible moisture-resistant coating applied to the inside of a baked container which allows the food components to be mixed together and maintain freshness for six hours or more. These devices, however, create problems generated by the texture and taste which a fatty coating imparts to food items and the adverse health risks associated with adding more fat and other unhealthy ingredients to the American diet. Further, these devices are limited in the amount of time that the coatings can maintain moisture resistance.
Finally, some two-component food products have forgone barrier methods and have instead relied upon immediate consumption or storage methods such as freezing to maintain food quality for food products made up of a combination of individual food components. Burger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,724, discloses a filled bagel product having an outer edible food container made of bagel dough and an inner scoop of cream cheese, both which are slightly cooked, allowing frozen storage over long periods of time. However, this device does not have a barrier between the two food components and it also relies upon a cooking and freezing process in order to keep the two components fresh. This device also does not provide a food product which is ready to eat directly from the stored condition.